Method of soldering radiator fins



2 Sheets-Sheet l A. B. MoDlNE METHOD 0F SOLDERING RADIATOR FINS Filed sept. 25, 1925 Oct. 8, 1929.

Oct. 8, 1929. A. B. MoDlNE METHOD 0F SOLDERING RADIATOR FINS Filed Sept. 25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j Mza M Patented Oct. 8, 1929 y Braun B uonmn, or RACINE, WISCONSIN METHOD OF SOLDERING lRADIATOR FINS Application filed September 25, 1925. Serial No. 58,542.

My invention relates to a methodof soldering and particularly to a method of soldering the elements of a radiator to each other.

The invention has among its other ob]ects f the production of soldered devices which are durable,'eiiicient,v neat and attractive in appearance and -satisfactory for use wherever found applicable.

A. particular object of the invention is lto provide-an improved method of soldering the several elements of a radiator to each other. Another articular object of the invention Lis to pro 'de a simplified method` whereby several elements of a fabricated 4device may 16 be secured to each other witha minimum "of solder. Many other objects and advantagesof the construction hereinshown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from th V" disclosure herein given.

I. Inone form of my invention, the improved method is practised to produce radiators which comprise metallic tubes held in spaced relation by plates which also serve as cooling v2li fins. The i lates are first coated with any suitable su stance such aspaint, varnish, shellac, mineral or chemical substances or the equivalent, and are then punched to providea rtures 1n which the tubes ma b'e mou d. e assembled plates and tu es are en dipped -into a bath of manner that capilla .attraction causes the solder to iow aroun the tubes where they are contacted by the plates, it being understood that the ed es p' the apertures formed inthe plates are c eaned during the punching operation. The solder does not adhere to the coated surfaces of the plates. The seams in the tubes are also soldered during the dipping operatio In another form of the invention the improved method s practised to solder a pluralit of twisted vanes to the cooling tubes of a ra iator, the twisted vanes being first coated with a suitable compound, as above described, after which the edges of the vanes are cleaned. The assembled tubes and varies are then dipped into the solder a' 'suicient distanceto permit the solder to flow along the clean edges of the vanes by capillary attraction.

fused solder in such In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate likebr corresponding parts:vv 4

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a coated plate which I `employ in one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the coated plate after a plurality of slits have been punched therein;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the a0 coated plate after apertures have/been formed therein for accommodating theVwater-cooling tubes of a radiator; A

. Fig. 4 shows'the coated platejassembled with the coolingftubes; I es Fig. 5' is a. section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; f .f

F ig. 6 is a section illustrating my improved method of applying solder to the tubes and the coated plate; .y 70

Fig. 7 -is a fragmentary j section taken. through a radiator produced by practising another form of the invention;

8 is a section taken on lline 8--8 of Flg. I

9=is asection taken Online `9--9 of Fig.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectiontaken through a radiator produced bypractising anotherv form of the invention; i 80 Fig. 11 is a section' taken on line/11-'11 of Filg. 10; ig.. 12 is a fragmentary lsectionl .taken tlrrough a radiator embodying another form of the invention; 8

Fig. 13. is a section taken on line 13--13of Fig. 12; y

` ig. 14 is a fragmentar.' section ,taken on line 14-14 of Fig..13; andy" a Y.

' Fig. 15 is a fragmentary section correspond- 90 ing to the section shown in Fig. 14 but illustrating the manner in which the solder adheres to the radiator elements when .thev eletments are not coated before beingsubjected to thefused solder. l f

I prefer to disclose .the improved -method as it is practised to produce radatorsof the type commonly employed inautomobiles and the like, but I am limitedto this use only insofar as defined in the appended claims.

- plied, the coating being of any suitable substance to which solder will not readily adhere. I preferably used paint, varnish, shel- `lac, mineral or chemical coatings or the 1 here thereto.

equivalent to form the coating 16. In practising one form -of the invention, I punch a plurality of slits 17 and 18 in the plate 15 after it has been coated, the slits 17 extcndmg longitudinally of the plate, and the slits 18 extending transversely thereof (Fig. `2). Obviously, the edges of the slits 17 and 18 will not be coated and solder will readily ad- In Fig. 3 I have illustrated'the manner in whicha plurality of apertures 20 are formed in the plate 15. Those portions of the plate 15 disposed intermediate the slits 17 are upset to form inclined vanes 22. It will be noted that the ends of each aperture 20- are rounded as at 23 to accommodate the rounded edges of a water-tube 25 adapted to be inserted in the aperture. In practice,a plurality of plates 15 and tubes 25 are assembled to form a radiator of the type commonly employed in automobiles` and the like. The plates and tubes are assembled in such manner that the clean edges of the slits 18 and the free edges 23 contact with the outer surfaces ofthe tubes 25. The tubes are preferably formed from sheets of metal, the side edges ofthe sheets being brought together to form lap seams 25".

As illustrated in Fig. soldered to the tubes 25 sembled tubes and lates into fused solder in such manner that tlliesolder flows around the tubes where they contact with the clean edges of the slits 18 and the free edges 23. The solder is preferably fusedin a suitablereceptacle 27, and the assembled-tubes and plates are dipped into the solder a. short distance.

6, the plates 15 are by dipping the as- The solder does not adhere to the coated surfaces of the plates, nor does it tend to flow over the surfaces of the tubeswhich are not engaged by or disposed in close proximity to the clean edges of the plates. However, the seams 25 are soldered during the dipping operation as they are immersed in the fused solder. 'In some instances I dip the assembled tubes and plates into the solder in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6, and then, after the solder has had an opportunity to flow upwardly along the clean edges of the plates .I invert the assembled tubes and plates and again dip them into the solder to insure that a l of the clean edges will be soldered to the tubes. This insures that the radiator will function efficiently as heat will readily How from the tubes through the solder to the plates, which dissipate 1t in the air.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 I have illustrated a radiator of different form which can be economi- -32 being preferably formed with la of the vanes 37 where these proximity to or contact with the tubes 38 and the tubes 40 are ,adhere and are then cleaned at the call produced by practising the improved met 10d. vThe radiator shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 comprises a plurality of plates 30 in which apertures 31 are formed to accommodate a plurality of water tubes 32, the tubes seams 3 2. The apertures 31 are bounded y continuous flanges 33 formed integral with the plates 30. The plates are bent intermediate their front and rear edges in such' manner that they will create a turbulence in the air passing through the radiator.

In practising the improved method, the marginal portions of the plates 30 are coated as at 34 with any suitable substance to which solder Will not adhere. The apertures 31; may be formed in the plates before or after the coatings have been applied thereto. In either instance, I clean the inner surfaces of the flanges 33 before subjecting the plates and tubes to fused solder. This may be done with any .suitable apparatus, such, as, for instance,

a wlre brush or the equivalent. After the plates and tubes have been assembled I dip them a short distance into fused` solder to permit the solder to flow upwardly between the anges 33 and the tubes 31. The solder rises because of capillary attraction. I referably dip the plates and tubes into the used solder in such manner that the fused solder does not contact with the uncoated portions of the plates. The assembledplates and tubes may be inverted and subjected to the fused solder a second time, if it is so desired.

InFigs. 10 and 11 I have illustrated an embodiment of the invention wherein a plurality of twisted vanesl 37 are soldered to water tubes 38 by practising the-improved method. The vanes 37 are first coated with any suitable substance to which the solder will not adhere and then the edges of the vanes are cleaned. The .assembled vanes 37 and tubes 38 are then dipped into fused solder in substantially the same manner as the devicesshown in Flgs. 1 to 5, inclusive, are dipped, the assembled vanes and tubes being inverted and subjected to solder for a second time, if it is so desired. The fused solder Hows along the clean edges edges lie in close ix the vanes in place between the tubes.`

Figs. 12,13 and 14 illustrate another embodiment of the invention wherein a radiator is formed by This radiator comprises a plurality .of water tubes 40 of Zig-zag shape which are soldered toa. plurality of plates 41 disposed intermediateI the vtubes 40 and extending from front to back of the radiator. In practising the improved method the outer surfaces of preferably coated with any suitable substance to which solder will not points Where they will engage the plates 41 when assembled with them. Each tube 40 is formed practising the improved method.

from bent strips 42 of metal, the marginal edges ot the strips being brought in close proximity to each other as indicated at 43 1n Fig. 14. The assembled tubes 40 and plates 41 are dipped a short distance into fused solder, whereupon the solder flows along the cleaned portions of the tubes, which portions contact with the plates 4l as above described. The fused solder also flows upwardly between the plates 42 of each tube 40, as indicated at 44 in Fig. 14. The solder does not adhere to the outer coated surfaces vof the tubes. In Fig. 15 l have illustrated the manner in which the solder adheres to the tubes 40 if the outer surfaces of the tubes are not coated in the manner set forth. Thus the solder enters between the plates 42 of each tube and also adheres to the outer surfaces of the tubes, as indicated at 45.

If so desired, the tubes and plates forming parts of the above described radiators may be coated with paint, shellac, varnish, mineral or chemical coatings, or the equivalent, and then the parts to which the solder is to be applied may be cleaned by any suitable apparatus. It is only necessary to insure that those portions ot' the elements which are to be secured to each other are clean and are diS- posed in close proximity to each other so that capillary attraction will cause the solder to enter between the portions.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do notwish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form or forms described or uses ,v mentioned.

What I claim as new and deslre to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of forming a radiator, which method comprises coating a plurality of plates, stamping apertures in said plates, in such'manner that the edges thenlzfformed are not coated,'passing tubes through said apertures to engage said ed es, and partially immersing said assemble plates and tubes in fused solder in such manner that! fused solder flows upward'by capillaryattraction to solder said edges to said tubes.

'2. A method of forming a radiator, which 

